The Darker Side | Chapter 8 | A Galaxy United

TARKIN REASSIGNED

Vader and I met up with Tarkin on the bridge of a new Venator-class Star Destroyer. We watched construction droids and other slaves workers assemble the massive superstructure of the Death Star. It would be the size of a small moon, and it would be glorious. At that point in time, I wasn’t sure if Tarkin and Vader saw eye to eye, or if they liked each other for that matter, but it did not matter to me. They both served me now, and I had foreseen that together, they would ensure peace throughout the galaxy.

I put Tarkin in charge of the Death Star because his ruthless and calculating nature eliminates obstacles with skill and he always achieves his objectives. He understands the true nature and importance of the Death Star and its role in the pacification of the galaxy.

On a side note, Tarkin achieved this role after a series of unfortunate events that were clearly beneath his capacity as a leader. Shortly after the Empire was formed and the scourge of the Jedi eliminated, Tarkin blundered on Antar 4 in the Mid Rim. Tasked with the pacification of remnant Separatist planets, he decided to make an example of Antar 4 so that Separatists throughout the galaxy would stand down and learn from the example of the slaughtered Rebels. Tarkin arrested hundreds, conducted mass executions, and oversaw other public massacres and barbarity that unfortunately caught a negative light in the media’s eyes. The Antar Atrocity—as the news media hyped it up—forced me to distance myself from Tarkin publicly for a while. I reassigned him to pacification operations in the Western Reaches of the galaxy, but when that proved troubling and rewarding at the same time, I decided to reassign him to a more critical leadership role: The construction of the Death Star over Geonosis.

With regard to Tarkin’s reassignment, certain military and Senate members viewed his move as punitive and believed I exhibited a sign of weakness by simply relocating a threat that was more menacing than I was. Others thought I couldn’t control him. They didn’t live long enough to share their true feelings with the media. Vader saw to that.

In truth, Tarkin had proven himself a worthy opponent, a brilliant tactician, and his name instilled terror in the hearts and minds of many through the galaxy. With his reputation firmly rooted in fear, it was time for me to embrace his mind and free his brutish yet tastefully artistic side. In this case, the pen is mightier than the lightsaber.

As time marched on, Tarkin’s well-spent time on Sentinel Base (the secret Imperial Facility that oversaw and supported the Death Star’s construction) allowed him to shape (with me) the Imperial doctrines that embodied the Empire’s governing principles and military might. These principles became known as the Tarkin Doctrine.

At a high level, the Tarkin Doctrine is simple: To rule the galaxy through fear of overwhelming force. Tarkin and I agreed that in order to prevent any resurgence of the CIS (or anything resembling the CIS) and its threat to split the galaxy in two, the galaxy needed to understand that any thoughts of rebellion would lead to intense and terrifying Imperial reprisal through the power of the Death Star.

At this point, I must give credit where credit is due. Until this entry, I have written and suggested that the Ultimate Weapon originated on Geonosis. This is true, but only from a certain point of view. The Death Star is the brainchild of master engineers Raith Sienar and Bevel Lemelisk who served the Republic well in its last years. Their advanced designs would become the iconic symbols of Imperial power you now love today.

So, long story short, Sienar shared his plans for an Expeditionary Battle Planetoid with Tarkin. They were friends, you see. Tarkin fell in love with it—and the idea behind it as the ultimate power in the universe (ultimate power for absolute rule)—and ordered Sienar and Lemelisk to pursue its construction. The Geonosians factored in when we needed their intellect to work through issues in the field of hyper matter sciences. The enormous cost and workforce required to build the Death Star needed additional funding beyond that of the Empire’s military budget. The balance of funds came from Damask Holdings and taxpayers like you, who helped secure what was originally marketed as the Imperial Planetary Ore Extractor so as to protect its identity and construction location from remnant Separatists and other insurgents.

THE IMPERIAL STATE

The key mission of the Galactic Empire’s Imperial military forces was twofold:

to target and reintegrate former Separatist worlds through intensive pacification processes, and

to eliminate any remnants of the Separatists and prevent rebellion.

Through the Declaration of a New Order, I pledged that the Empire would enjoy ten thousand years of peace, and I am a man of my word. The violence that had ravaged the galaxy for the past two decades encouraged many to embrace and support my vision for a better way of living. The New Order promised its citizens security and peace while accepting that weakness would be traded for strength, uncertainty for swift decisiveness, and chaos for order. Because all opposition to the Empire had been systematically wiped out, the facilitation of necessary Republic-to-Empire changes occurred with little resistance.

Surprisingly, not everyone was thrilled with the changes I implemented. A number of cautious Senators chose to wait and see how I would manage the galaxy’s affairs. Within that group of about two thousand Senators, a more distrusting handful of Senators actually worried that I would not be true to my word. Senators such as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma had the potential of becoming instigators for a larger revolt. I would watch their careers with great interest.

Regardless of the Senate’s approval, I began changing the status quo to invigorate the populous and make it clear that a greater power had risen. I renamed anything and everything Galactic or Republic to Imperial so that people would always know that they were part of the new Imperial Order and not the Old Republic. For example, I renamed the Coruscant sector of the galaxy to the Imperial Sector, Coruscant itself I renamed to Imperial Center, and Galactic City (where the capitol buildings were built) was renamed to Imperial City.

In order to prevent a military coup d’etat, I instructed my most trusted (ha, there’s that word again) military officers—such as Admiral Mulleen—to test and weed out Imperial Officers who clung to the ways of the Old Republic or betrayed the Empire with anti-Imperial notions. With swift decisiveness befitting an officer of the Imperial Navy, he carried out my orders with extreme prejudice. Finance Minister Ghag acted quickly to seize the assets of former Separatist worlds or factions and either destroy, recycle, or assimilate them.

I reorganized the military’s hierarchy and permanently instituted the rank of Moffs. Together with the regional governors, they conducted efficient peacekeeping and governance throughout the Empire.

In the first few years of the Empire’s might, I poured resources into the development of the Imperial Navy and other military assets. New starships, fighters, and other technological research and development (such as a more powerful Death Star super laser) needed to be built so that the Imperial Might of the Galaxy would never be successfully challenged by any uprising.

In fact, I did a great many things to ensure your safety and security. I should like to tell you more of what happened, but I fear the exercise of securing Imperial might, though glorious and fascinating, will bore you and I really don’t have the time to continue writing the events of the past as the present is demanding my attention. Therefore, I will look to the time when Luke Skywalker (now that we know who he is) first entered the scene and became the threat—and possible ally—he is today.

THEY LOST THE PLANS

Actually, before I move on, I need to address and close an open storyline within my journal and set the stage for the next series of events. I will direct your mind to the mention of Starkiller (from the I Am Not Amused entry), Vader’s illicit Sith Apprentice. It seems that Vader rescued the boy after tossing him into the void of space. I remember feeling both impressed and disturbed with Vader’s treachery. It seemed that Vader had disassociated with the boy, but not without good reason. Vader’s actions successfully exposed the dissident leadership that threatened the security and peace of the Galactic Empire.

The Rebel Alliance—though it pains me to use that name because it gives credence to a group of dissidents, had become a true thorn in my side and threatened the security of the Imperial State. Somehow, a group of Senators became aware of the true nature of the Imperial Planetary Ore Extractor (IPOE for short) and sought to obtain its plans in order to destroy it. While observing the IPOE’s construction, Vader captured and brought to me the traitorous Rebellion leaders: Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis.

Just prior to their execution, Starkiller—who now claimed to be a Jedi and used his given name Galen Marek—sacrificed himself in a bold yet successful rescue attempt. With their escape, and the knowledge of the IPOE’s true nature, I had a bigger problem on my hands than I realized. Unlike the CIS, I was not in control of these Rebels, and now the Rebel Alliance we had unwittingly created could be our undoing.

The exact treachery that took place to acquire the plans for the Death Star is unknown to me, except that a number of Wookie slaves and Bothans were believed to be involved in the theft. Now that the plans were in the hands of the Rebels, I remember feeling curious as to what exactly they thought they could do with them. The Death Star was more than equipped to handle an assault from a large fleet and, as you now know, it has the firepower to destroy a planet.

Star Wars, the Star Wars logo, all names and pictures of Star Wars characters, vehicles, and any other Star Wars related items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd., or their respective trademark and copyright holders.

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